Most conventional infrared (IR) detectors for remote sensing use electrical readouts, such as provided by microbolometers in which the resistivities of the pixel elements of the detector change based on temperature resulting from IR exposure. IR imaging with optical readouts is also known, such as using microcantilever or interferometric-based systems. Microcantilevers, in optical readout devices for thermal imaging, bend as their temperature is increased due to exposure to IR radiation, and thus the angle in which the light (usually visible light) is reflected changes as a function of temperature.